News

We would like to take a moment to recognize those who will be receiving the highest award in Girl Scouting, the Girl Scout Gold Award. Congratulations to the Girl Scouts listed below! For more information about the Girl Scout Gold Award, click here.

The Fall Product totals have been calculated and the results are in! On behalf of the Product Program Department and the entire staff, we’d like to congratulate the girls that earned the title of “TOP 10 SELLERS” for GSNI’s Fall Product Program!

Every year, thousands of Girl Scouts participate in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) by being a member of GSNI. We wanted to show you the impact that program is making in lives of girls, so we created the 2012-13 Impact Report. We know it is important to you as a member, volunteer, or donor to see how your contribution makes an impact to the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois. In this report you will see what Girl Scouts are getting out of the GSLE. Take a look!

It’s time to make the holidays a happy time for thousands of children in need! The Elgin Community Holiday Toy Giveaway will be held at Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way in Elgin, on Wednesday, December 18, with setup on Tuesday, December 17. Girl Scouts can help in several ways!

Recently Robin Witt sat down with GSNI to talk about her experience as a Girl Scout volunteer. Robin graciously shared the many lessons she’s learned through working with girls and volunteers to achieve the Girl Scout Mission.

The Hanover/Elizabeth Girl Scout Brownie Troop 5270 is raising breast cancer awareness throughout the month of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Girl Scout founder, Juliette Low, founder of Girl Scouts of the USA, died from breast cancer and the girls are honoring her memory during her birthday month. The Girl Scouts are have hung pink ribbons throughout Hanover, participated in the Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce's Scarecrow Contest with a Breast Cancer Awareness themed entry, and handed out pink lemonade at the Apple River State Banks in Hanover and Elizabeth from 9–11 a.m. on Saturday, October 19.

GSNI recently spoke with volunteer Angela Juneau about the Fall Product Program. Angela is a Cadette troop leader, Cookie Coordinator, and Service Unit Event Coordinator in Trefoil Service Unit. Angela’s daughter Katie is a Girl Scout Cadette in sixth grade. Angela was a Girl Scout as a girl and has been an adult volunteer for over seven years. Katie has been a Girl Scout since she was in kindergarten. Both of them are very passionate about the Girl Scout Leadership Experience!

Fiona Thomas Cummings, M.A., PMP, LEED Green Associate, has been announced as the new Chief Executive Officer for Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois (GSNI). She is a native of Surrey, a county in the South East of England, but has lived in the United States for the past 13 years. Her corporate experience includes over 28 years working for British Petroleum (BP), as a Global Head of Trading Floor Premises (Strategy and Construction) for BP North America, Commercial Manager, BP Pipelines Business Unit for BP North America, Operating Unit Manager and Member of the Board for BP Switzerland, and Systems Implementation Manager for BP Germany. While working for BP, Fiona resided in France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, as well as the UK and the USA.

Being a Girl Scout is one of the greatest things to do. Now that I am a Junior, I have lots of Girl Scout memories...but one that I remember the most is this snowy day. My Girl Scout leaders planned a snow day with Cadettes when I was a Daisy. That's when I found out that all Girl Scouts grow up to be great people, who are kind and nice. The Cadettes helped my Daisy troop go up and down the big snowy hill at Randall Oaks in Dundee. All of the Cadettes looked tired and exhausted but they kept taking us up and down the hill and acted like it was no problem at all. It seemed like the coldest day on earth and they really showed the true meaning of Girl Scouts. They showed us how to be leaders. I still admire them because they are probably in high school now and I bet they are even nicer. I am hoping that one day girls in Daisies will look up to me and want to keep doing Girl Scouts so they can help other people.

In Girl Scouts we help others, earn badges and meet new friends along the way. This year in Girl Scouts I cannot wait to earn the "Drawing" and "Simple Meals" badges. I am excited about these badges because they sound fun and earning badges shows that you have done many things in Girl Scouts. I am also looking forward to earning the Bronze Award and doing a service project to help other people.

When I was a first grade Daisy scout, we planned a visit to the Senior Center near Christmas time. This was one of the first events our troop did together. We were all very excited about it and could hardly stop talking once we got there! Visiting the Senior Center was an important event to me in Girl Scouts because we got to sing carols, and all the people came out to watch us. We played board games with them and made them each a Christmas pin. All of the girls got to play games with the residents. I was glad that I got to help make them happy for Christmas. We have done a lot of other events, but this was one of my favorites, and I'll never forget our first Girl Scout troop event!

This year in Girl Scouts, I can't wait to save up money so we can take a trip to White Pines Horse camp! Our troop wants to save up money we earn selling cookies and fall product, so that we can go to camp! I really enjoy camping in the "wilderness". We have camped as a troop a few times, and have had so much fun. We can't wait for our next trip!

First Lady Michelle Obama discusses the important role played by Girl Scout volunteers in a new video released today by Girl Scouts of the USA, for which she serves as Honorary National President. Every First Lady of the United States has served in this post since 1917, when First Lady Edith B. Wilson became the first Honorary National President. Mrs. Obama's video coincides with the launch of the organization's new national campaign to increase recruitment of girl members and adult volunteers while highlighting the fun, excitement, and anticipation that are part of the Girl Scout experience.

The campaign captures the fun of Girl Scouting with the theme "I can't wait to..." and girl-friendly grassroots promotions that will reach every community nationwide. With 3.2 million Girl Scouts and 112 Girl Scout councils across the country, parents, caregivers, and volunteers are vital to the organization's success.

"Girl Scout volunteers can be moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or anyone else looking to help girls in their community fulfill their boundless promise," said First Lady Michelle Obama. "As a Girl Scout volunteer, you can show girls that anything is possible, and you can inspire them to dream bigger and go further than they ever even imagined."

Discover the Girl Scout Leadership Experience on Sunday, October 6, 12:30–3:30 p.m., at the Crystal Lake Nature Center, located at 330 N Main Street. Activities will include sleeping bag races, making survival bracelets, hiking the nature center, and geocaching. During the open house, interested girls and families can stop by to experience a wide variety of Girl Scouting activities! To download the flyer for this event click here. For more information, please contact Emma Eschenfeldt at 847-741-5521, Ext. 7124, or via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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This summer, GSUSA representatives visited GSNI’s “My Best Elf Self” camp at Baker Community Center in St. Charles to see how girls enjoyed using Healthy Habits, a component of the It’s Your Planet—Love It! Journey. The cameras were rolling as girls worked on WOW! Wonders of Water and learned about staying healthy throughout their lives.

GSUSA has made the process of submitting and tracking the Girl Scout Gold Award Project Proposal and Final Report a lot easier with GoGold Web App! Instead of filling out the traditional paperwork, girls working on their Girl Scout Gold Award will document their progress and submit their project proposal and final report by using the GoGold App. Benefits of this web app include:

Keeping all of your information in one place

Ability to share progress on your award in one place

Get feedback from the Girl Scout Gold Award Volunteer Committee

Access to Girl Scout Gold Award resources to help answer your questions along the way

GSNI is collaborating with OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center to produce a Pink Glove Dance Video on Sunday, September 22, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., at Saint Anthony Medical Center, 5666 East State Street, in Rockford. The filming will take place in front of the hospital. In case of rain, it will be moved to the atrium.

The Pink Glove Dance Video Competition is aimed at raising breast cancer awareness. Once the video is complete, it will be uploaded to the Pink Glove Dance website where people can vote for their favorite video. First place will receive $25,000; second place will receive $10,000, and third place receives $5,000 to be donated to a charity of the winner’s choice that supports breast cancer research. GSNI and OSF have chosen American Cancer Society—Making Strides Again Breast Cancer to be the recipient of any support.

Troop 414 recently received the Girl Scout Bronze Award by completing a Take Action Project about pet adoption. Here’s what leader Mary Crow had to say about the experience:

The Juniors decided to make the community aware of pet adoption as an alternative to buying pets from breeders. They held a dog and cat food collection at school and two other local businesses. They created posters and flyers about the collection and about pet adoption. Then they went out to neighborhood parks and distributed the fliers to the community.

Don't miss your chance to lock in the current rates and be guaranteed a Dry-Blend T-Shirt. Early Registration ends Tuesday, September 3, 2013. The Thin Mint Sprint will be held on Saturday, September21, 2013. Visit our website to register today!

Here's what people are saying about participating in our Thin Mint Sprint Event:

With the launch of the new Online Registration Portal, all users will need to create new user names and passwords. It is important to note that guardians will be able to manage their entire family and should login as themselves rather than their daughter.

Click on the "New Online Account" button on the right-hand side. After entering your information you may see one of two messages:

Congratulations! We found you in the online system. Please go to your email and follow the instructions to activate your online account.

Or

We have found you in the system, but in order to continue please contact us.

If the system cannot find you based on the information you entered, you will be prompted to provide further information such as your email address or phone number.

After you're all set up your account will be active and you will be able to add family members to your account.

We are really excited about the changes that have been made to our Online Registration Portal and are confident they will make the registration process easier for you. However, if you have any questions about this new system, please contact our Registration Help Desk at 847-741-5521, Ext. 7110, or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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